Diference Between 01 To 04 And 04 To 06 Corolla?

[corollawagonman]

hi there, what a great forum.. i have owned corollas since my first ride way back in the early 90,s.. I'm in the process of buying a 04 wagon to suit my new family. just a quistion is there much diference in the 01 to 06 series corolla wagon and anything to watch out for, is it worth saving 2k on a 04 rather than a 05 model.. thanks if anyone could help me out it would be great... thanks for your time.. luke

[7shades]

ZZE12* series?

 

No major differences mechanically between the two, only small exterior cosmetic changes and slightly nicer seats.

 

I *think* the wagons were all Japan built, (a good thing) as opposed to some of the earlier 120 series sedans/hatches which were slapped together by monkeys in South Africa and are an absolute pile of shit.

[Hiro Protagonist]

From memory (don't quote me 100%)

 

All wagons are Japanese

Run-of-the-mill sedans and hatches were a mix of South African and Japanese depending on year and model

All Sportivos (pre-facelift and facelift) were South African-assembled.

 

Easiest way to check is to look at the VIN. If it starts with JT then it is Japanese, AH means South African

[Spencer[RL]]

HAHAHAHAH monkeys...

[19914afc]

ye don't get the one built by monkeys brakes are shit although would have been replaced now with aftermarket/jap stuff. Another thing there is one at my work that comes in every few months with over 400,000kms on it has lots of oil leaks but still runs strong, auto too.

[7shades]

Here's another fun fact: If Toyota wasn't run by completely nonsensical idiots, and I was able to purchase an AWD wagon variant of the Corolla in this country (You can, in Japan of course) there would be one occupying my driveway right now.

 

Why they only sold the 120 series as wagons here is utterly beyond me.

[Mulga]

I've had a South African built 05 Ascent for 4 years, it has been abslutely thrashed, run in hillclimbs, sprints and a couple of rallies, now has 200K on the clock and no problems whatsoever, although I suspect the clutch is currently on the way out. Engine has a K&N Apollo CAI and a custom 2.25" sports exhaust. ECU has been upgraded by the addition of a Haltech platinum interceptor kit and fully remapped and dyno tuned. I rev it to 7500 when necessary although I normally shift up at 6500. Also can't fault the general finish and build, most of the suspension components have been replaced by sports gear but the original setup was fine for a road car. I also know quite a few other people with SA builds and can't pick no difference with the Japanese. Because of the predjudice against the SA builds they tend to sell cheaper 2nd hand, particularly at auction so IMHO are a better buy

[the_bug]

I have recently only become aware that some corollas were manufactured in South Africa. I have a ZZE-122 (Japanese build, ofcourse) and was looking at getting parts off a South African build. Anyone know of any major difference (apart from seats and cosmetic changes as mentioned), specifically looking at things like wheel base, frame dimensions and even door shape/sizes? 

[G Rolla]

Be careful when buying parts for your Japanese built Corolla. I lost the plastic roof channel strip somewhere down the Calder Freeway (here in Melbourne AU), and went to buy a replacement. I didn't check the part and turns out that they gave me a South African part and it was around 2 cm too long and didn't fit my Levin Hatch!